Firing of outspoken prof did not violate University of Saskatchewan Act: board

University of Saskatchewan administration did not violate the University of Saskatchewan Act when an outspoken tenured professor was fired last week, the school’s board of governors announced in the early-morning hours of Tuesday after more than four hours of debate at an emergency meeting.

Shortly before 1 a.m., U of S board chair Susan Milburn said in a statement that the board of governors did “not want to act in haste and therefore we have not made any final decisions, other than to maintain our strong commitment to financial sustainability and renewal.

“We will conclude our due diligence before a decision is rendered on university leadership ... The board believes it is in compliance with the University of Saskatchewan Act."

She said the board will continue discussing the issue at the next board meeting scheduled for May 26-27.

"We've got a lot of work to do to restore the reputation of the university, that is everyone's responsibility," said Milburn.

She did not say whether or not this process would mark the end of the TransformUS initiative.

"We have to think about whether what happened this week is actually a TransformUS issue or not so we'll think that through a bit," said Milburn.

Though further discussion will take place, one high-profile member of the U of S administration stepped down before the hours of debate Monday night and Tuesday morning: provost Brett Fairbairn, who controversially fired Robert Buckingham last week, tendered his resignation.

“My motive for offering my resignation is my genuine interest in the well-being of the University of Saskatchewan," Fairbairn said in a letter to university president Ilene Busch-Vishniac.

"I believe the work I have done as a student, faculty member, and provost has contributed to the growth of our university’s reputation. The same interests lead me to offer stepping aside from the provost role as the best contribution I can now offer under present circumstances.”

News of Fairbairn's resignation came minutes before the university board of governors convened an emergency meeting to determine what steps to take after university administration fired and then reinstated an outspoken tenured professor last week.

The meeting, which was not open to the public, began at 8 p.m.

On May 14, Fairbairn fired Robert Buckingham, a tenured professor and now-former executive director of the university’s school of public health, for writing a letter to the provincial government and Opposition criticizing the institution’s controversial TransformUS cost-cutting plan.

Politicians, students, faculty, alumni and the Canadian Association of University Teachers immediately blasted the decision, saying the U of S was suppressing Buckingham’s right to academic freedom.

The next day, university president Busch-Vishniac partially reversed the decision, saying the university administration “blundered” when it stripped Buckingham of his tenure. She affirmed the university’s support of academic freedom, but said leaders are expected to publicly support administrative decisions once they are made. Buckingham, who remained booted from his leadership role, was invited to return as a professor. He said he is still considering the offer.

Amid the international outrage surrounding the events, Advanced Education Minister Rob Norris asked U of S board chair Susan Milburn to call an emergency meeting to determine whether administration broke the University of Saskatchewan Act, which dictates how the institution is to be governed and outlines the university’s commitment to academic freedom.

Milburn, who has been quiet throughout a week of controversy, declined to speak with media about what was on the agenda or what repercussions university administration could face if found to be in violation of the University of Saskatchewan Act.

An open letter to Milburn signed by hundreds of academics across Canada urges the board to take strong action against U of S administration in order to restore the university’s tarnished reputation.

“It’s incredibly important that the University of Saskatchewan be very, very clear in its defence of academic freedom,” said Carolyn Sale, an associate professor of English at University of Alberta in Edmonton who helped draft the letter.

The letter stresses that “deans at Canada’s public universities must be free to criticize and speak publicly against decisions being taken by their university administrations,” and says both Fairbairn and Busch-Vishniac failed to uphold the principles of academic freedom when they fired Buckingham.

Nick Marlatte, a recent graduate of University of Saskatchewan who is organizing a rally at U of S on Tuesday, said outrage will only die down if both the president and provost are fired for their actions.

He said he expects more than 500 students, faculty members and concerned community members to arrive on campus Tuesday afternoon to express concern over the firing of Buckingham and to call for the termination of TransformUS.

“The reputation of the university has really been damaged in the last week because of the decision by the senior administration to fire Robert Buckingham,” he said. “It’s compromised the entire TransformUS policy because now we know that deans and senior administration can’t speak out against this.”

Buckingham, who said he simply wants all this to go away, said Monday he’d “hate for anyone to lose their jobs over this.”

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Share

Firing of outspoken prof did not violate University of Saskatchewan Act: board

In less than a week, Abbotsford recording artists Hedley went from touring Canada with two supporting acts and a popular new album to pariahs ensnared in allegations of sexual misconduct. On Monday, accusations that band members Jacob Hoggard, Dave Rosin, Tommy Mac and Jay Benison had engaged in sexual behaviour with teenage girls surfaced on Twitter […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.